By Uncle Tom George
MINNESOTA BOWL GAME NOTES
https://gophersports.com/documents/2023/12/18/12.26.23_BowlingGreen_Notes.pdf
THE ESSENTIALS
Date/Time: Dec. 26, 2023 / 1 p.m. CT
Site: Detroit, Mich.
Stadium: Ford Field
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 65,000
Series Overall: Series Tied 2-2
Streak Overall: Minnesota Lost 1
Series at Neutral Site: Never Met
First Meeting: Minnesota Won 31-7 in Minneapolis (9/13/1986)
Last Meeting: Minnesota lost 14-10 in Minneapolis (9/25/2021)
Television: ESPN // Connor Onion (PXP), Dustin Fox (Analyst), Tori Petry (Reporter)
Gopher Radio: KFAN FM 100.3 | SiriusXM: 372 or 84; SXM App // Mike Grimm (PXP), Darrell Thompson (Analyst), Justin Gaard (Reporter), Tanner Hoops (Host), Dan Rowbotham (Engineer)
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. Minnesota (5-7, 3-6 B1G) makes its 24th all-time bowl appearance on Tuesday, Dec. 26, when it faces Bowling Green (7-5, 5-3 MAC) in the 2023 Quick Lane Bowl. The game will be held at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., at 1 p.m. with ESPN televising and radio coverage provided by the Gopher Radio Network.
2. The Golden Gophers are 11-12 in their history in bowl games, but they have won six straight bowl contests, including all four appearances under head coach P.J. Fleck (2022 Pinstripe, 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, 2020 Outback, 2018 Quick Lane). The six-game bowl winning streak is the second longest active streak in the country, excluding national championship game appearances. Only Alabama has a longer streak with eight straight wins. See chart at bottom of page. With four bowl wins, Fleck already has the most in Gophers history, while his five bowl game appearances will rank second to seven for Glen Mason (1997-06).
3. Minnesota is heading to the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit for the third time in program history. The Golden Gophers are 2-0 all-time in the bowl, previously defeating Central Michigan, 21-14, in 2015 and topping Georgia Tech, 34-10, in 2018. A win would mark the first time Minnesota has won the same bowl game three times in its history. The team has also won twice at the Music City Bowl.
4. An interception on the final play of the first half against Wisconsin marked the fifth interception of the season for Tyler Nubin and the 13th of his career. The Sporting News First-Team All-American now owns the Minnesota school record outright, breaking a three-way tie he shared with Sean Lumpkin and Jeff Wright at 12. A fifth-year senior, Nubin recorded one interception as a sophomore, three as a junior and four a year ago as a senior. His five picks this year are tied for fourth most in a season at Minnesota, and they are tied for third in the Big Ten and fifth in the FBS. Nubin has a pair of multi-interception games in his career, including earlier this year against Nebraska. The 13 career interceptions are tied with Purdue’s Cam Allen for the most by an active player in the FBS.
5. The 2023 campaign is the seventh for head coach P.J. Fleck at Minnesota, where his record is 49-34. He is fifth in program history for overall wins, Big Ten wins (29) and games coached (83). Fleck’s .590 win percentage is third best among Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, ’45-50). In his 11th season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 79-56 (.585).
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